Deck 2: Changing Global Environment

Question 1

Beneath Earth's surface, where does the heat exchange occur that moves tectonic plates? Refer to the figure below.

A) Continental crust
B) Ocean trenches
C) Convection cells
D) Subducting plate
E) Mid-ocean ridge

Answer 1

C

Question 2

If the greenhouse effect did not exist, what would happen to earth?

A) Earth would be too cold to support life as we know it.
B) Earth would be much too hot to support life as we know it.
C) Earth would be too wet to support life as we know it.
D) Our environment would be greatly improved.
E) It would make no difference.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Based on the map of bioregions below, what type of bioregion is most often found along the equator?

A) broadleaf or mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest
B) coniferous forest
C) tundra
D) tropical forests
E) Mediterranean woodland

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Where is solar radiation trapped in the Greenhouse Effect? Refer to the figure below.

A) Oceans
B) Outer space
C) Lower atmosphere
D) High latitudes
E) Low latitudes

Question 5

Among earthquakes, volcanoes, and hurricanes, which is (are)a seismic hazard?

A) Earthquakes
B) Volcanoes
C) Hurricanes
D) Earthquakes and volcanoes
E) Earthquakes, volcanoes, and hurricanes

Question 6

Where are earthquakes and volcanoes most commonly found?

A) In the higher latitudes
B) At the edges of oceans
C) Along tectonic plate boundaries
D) Around the equator
E) The location is random.

Question 7

By what name do we know the place where two tectonic plates are forced together?

A) Continental crust
B) Ocean trenches
C) Convergent plate boundary
D) Subduction zone
E) Divergent plate boundary

Question 8

If all climatic controls except latitude were held constant, which of these cities would be warmest?

A) Singapore at about 2° north latitude
B) Wasilla, Alaska at about 61° north latitude
C) Paris, France at about 49° north latitude
D) Cape Town, South Africa at about 34° south latitude
E) Punta Arenas, Chile at about 53° south latitude

Question 9

The trapping of solar radiation in Earth's lower atmosphere ________.

A) is entirely anthropogenic
B) is called the greenhouse effect
C) has no benefits
D) began with humans' use of fossil fuels
E) began with humans' use of fossil fuels and has no benefits

Question 10

The U.S. congress opposed the Kyoto Protocol primarily because ________.

A) the U.S. is and has not been a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
B) while the U.S. has contributed greatly to greenhouse gas emissions in the past, in recent years it has made substantial efforts in reducing these emissions.
C) there is no scientific evidence whatsoever supporting a correlation between greenhouse emissions and climate change.
D) atmospheric emission reductions could potentially harm the U.S. economy.
E) no other industrialized country supports the Kyoto Protocol.

Question 11

Why was there greater loss of life in Haiti's 2010 magnitude 7.0 earthquake where 220,000 people died than in Chile's 2010 magnitude 8.8 earthquake, where about 800 people died?

A) Many of Haiti's citizens live in substandard housing.
B) Chile has better search and rescue operations.
C) Haiti's total population is larger than Chile's population
D) Because many Haitians live in substandard housing and because Chile has better search and rescue operations
E) Because many Haitians live in substandard housing; because Chile has better search and rescue operations; and because Haiti's total population is larger than Chile's

Question 12

What geologic structure is created when one tectonic plate dives below another?

A) Continental crust
B) Ocean trenches
C) Convergent plate boundary
D) Subduction zone
E) Divergent plate boundary

Question 13

An assemblage of local plants, animals, and insects covering a large area such as a tropical rainforest or a grassland is called a ________.

A) bioregion
B) bionicle
C) biosphere
D) biogeography
E) biore

Question 14

Which of the following is an example the possible effects of climate change?

A) The U.S. wheat belt may receive more rainfall.
B) Grain production is likely to increase.
C) Canada and Russia may experience shorter growing seasons.
D) Sea level will rise.
E) New islands will appear as ocean levels decrease.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT one of Earth's climate controls?

A) incoming solar energy
B) anthropogenic systems
C) latitude
D) interaction between land and water
E) global pressure systems and wind patterns

Question 16

What is the theory of plate tectonics?

A) Earth was created 6,000 years ago.
B) Earth is made up of a large number of geological plates that move slowly across its surface.
C) Human activities are changing Earth's surface.
D) The number of tectonic plates equals the number of continents on Earth.
E) Earth's continents are moving closer together.

Question 17

What pair of countries contributes the most greenhouse emissions to the atmosphere?

A) England and Ireland
B) Germany and France
C) United States and China
D) Japan and South Korea
E) Russia and India

Question 18

Anthropogenic emissions are caused by ________.

A) people.
B) animals.
C) climate.
D) rocks.
E) anthropologists.

Question 19

What substance accounts for more than half of the human-generated greenhouse gases?

A) chlorofluorocarbons
B) carbon dioxide
C) methane
D) nitrous oxide
E) ozone

Question 20

What shapes the fundamental form of Earth's surface?

A) geology
B) anthropology
C) politics
D) economics
E) social development

Question 21

Where are most tropical rainforests located?

A) near the north pole
B) near the south pole
C) near the equator
D) in the middle latitudes
E) Their location is random

Question 22

Some estimates suggest that logging occurs ________ times faster in Southeast Asia than in the Amazon.

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
E) 10

Question 23

Based on the climograph of Cape Town, South Africa shown below, what is the average daily high temperature during January in that city?

A) 2
B) 16
C) 20
D) 60
E) 80

Question 24

What is the major source of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)?

A) burning fossil fuels
B) aerosol sprays and refrigerants
C) by-product of cattle and sheep digestion
D) widespread use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture
E) burning associated with rainforest clearing

Question 25

Tropical forests are not well-suited for intensive agriculture because ________.

A) the excessive amount of rainfall in the region tends to prohibit effective plant growth.
B) available nutrients are stored in tropical forest vegetation, so when the ground cover and trees are removed, the nutrients are removed, too.
C) the ground layer of vegetation in tropical forests is so thick that the land is extremely difficult to clear.
D) the temperatures in tropical forests are too high to allow feasible crop production.
E) they tend to be located too far inland.

Question 26

What is the major source of nitrous oxide?

A) aerosol sprays and refrigerants
B) burning fossil fuels
C) by-product of cattle and sheep digestion
D) burning associated with rainforest clearing
E) widespread use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture

Question 27

Global warming could have which of the following potential dramatic effects?

A) a regional shift in agriculture production northward
B) rising sea levels as a result of the melting of the polar ice caps
C) Southern areas of the U.S. could expect a warmer, drier climate.
D) a regional shift in agricultural production northward and rising sea levels
E) a regional shift in agricultural production northward, warmer and drier climate in Southern areas of the U.S., and rising sea levels

Question 28

The increase in greenhouse gases during the last 130 years is primarily a result of ________.

A) the excessive burning of fossil fuels by humans.
B) the escape of these gases from plate boundaries and volcanoes.
C) increased sunspot activity that accelerates plant photosynthesis rates.
D) the release of excessive amounts of carbon from the oceans.
E) widespread use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture.

Question 29

About half of the tropical forests that are lost each year are located in what part of the world?

A) Amazon Basin of South America
B) Southeast Asia
C) tropical Africa
D) the Caribbean
E) Oceania

Question 30

Based on map showing global pressure systems, what is the general direction of wind flow in the higher latitudes?

A) from south to north
B) from north to south
C) from west to east
D) from east to west
E) There is no pattern.

Question 31

What is the major source of methane?

A) aerosol sprays and refrigerants
B) burning fossil fuels
C) widespread use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture
D) burning associated with rainforest clearing
E) by-product of cattle and sheep digestion

Question 32

The nutrients that are available for plant growth in tropical rainforests tend to be stored in ________.

A) the uppermost layer of the soil.
B) the bottommost layer of the soil.
C) a layer that is approximately one meter below the surface.
D) the decaying vegetative material that has fallen on the rainforest floor.
E) the living plants.

Question 33

What is the only industrialized country in the world that has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol?

A) Japan
B) Russia
C) United States
D) France
E) Australia

Question 34

Based on map showing global pressure systems, what is the general direction of wind flow along the equator?

A) from south to north
B) from north to south
C) from west to east
D) from east to west
E) There is no pattern.

Question 35

What world region is experiencing the highest RATE of tropical deforestation?

A) Africa
B) South America
C) East Asia
D) Southeast Asia
E) North America

Question 36

Tropical rainforest canopies are generally

A) a two-layer canopy that is thickest in its upper layer and thin in its lower layer.
B) a two-layer canopy that is thickest in its lower layer and thin in its upper layer.
C) a three-layer canopy that is thickest at the ground level.
D) a three-layer canopy that is thickest in its middle layer.
E) a one-layer canopy.

Question 37

Which two countries reject the notion that they must adhere to the international emission reduction plan developed in Copenhagen Denmark in December 2009 because they fear it will harm their growing economies?

A) Brazil and Turkey
B) Russia and Poland
C) India and China
D) North and South Korea
E) Australia and New Zealand

Question 38

Which of the following is a fossil fuel?

A) petroleum
B) wood
C) hydrogen/fuel cell
D) ethanol
E) nuclear energy

Question 39

The amount of tropical forest that is lost each year is equivalent to the size of what U.S. state?

A) Rhode Island
B) Texas
C) Alaska
D) Delaware
E) Wisconsin

Question 40

What is the most recent international agreement on climate change?

A) the Greenhouse Gas Nonproliferation Treaty
B) the Paris Plan
C) the Earth Summit document developed in Rio de Janeiro
D) the Kyoto protocol
E) the Copenhagen Accord

Question 41

In what type of bioregion is desertification most likely to occur?

A) tropical forests
B) temperate forests
C) coniferous forests
D) tundra
E) grasslands

Question 42

With what bioregion is the term "steppe" associated?

A) grasslands
B) tropical forests
C) deciduous forests
D) coniferous forests
E) tundra

Question 43

What percentage of tropical forest timber is used in Japan?

A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 30%
D) 50%
E) 70%

Question 44

If current rates of deforestation continue in Southeast Asia, how many years would it take for the region to become completely stripped of its forests?

A) 5
B) 15
C) 25
D) 50
E) 75

Question 45

About how much of the world's land area is tropical rainforest?

A) 2%
B) 7%
C) 10%
D) 15%
E) 25%

Question 46

How tall are the tallest trees in a tropical rainforest?

A) 75 ft.
B) 150 ft.
C) 200 ft.
D) 270 ft.
E) 340 ft.

Question 47

In the 1930s, which country experienced desertification known as the "Dust Bowl"?

A) China
B) Argentina
C) Turkey
D) United States
E) Spain

Question 48

Between 1950 and 1980, an area the size of Denmark has been desertified in which country?

A) China
B) Norway
C) Brazil
D) Bangladesh
E) United States

Question 49

Where is the third or lowest level of the tropical rainforest vegetation?

A) forest floor
B) 5 feet above the ground
C) 10 feet above the ground
D) 15 feet above the ground
E) 20 feet above the ground

Question 50

What is the approximate size of the area around the world that has become desertified over the last several decades?

A) about the size of South America
B) about the size of the state of Delaware
C) about the size of a city block
D) about the size of New York City
E) about the size of Brazil

Question 51

Why is there special concern about timber firms in Japan and China purchasing logs from North American conifer forests?

A) Japan gets a discount on the logs.
B) Japan does not hire U.S. workers to cut the trees.
C) These trees are often cut from public forests in the U.S.
D) At this time, the U.S. and Japan are involved in a larger trade dispute.
E) All of the other answers are correct.

Question 52

In which parts of the world has desertification been the most serious problem?

A) Southeast Asia and Oceania
B) Western and Southern Europe
C) Southeast Asia and North America
D) Africa, Australia, and South Asia
E) Canada and Eastern Europe

Question 53

About how much of Earth's land area qualifies as true desert, with annual rainfall of less than 10 inches?

A) 2%
B) 10%
C) 30%
D) 45%
E) 60%

Question 54

What Latin American country has used much of its interior rainforest for settlement in order to ease population pressure along its densely settled eastern coast?

A) Brazil
B) Bolivia
C) Chile
D) Argentina
E) Mexico

Question 55

The world's growing appetite for what food product is a leading cause of tropical deforestation?

A) pork
B) sugar
C) lamb
D) bananas
E) beef

Question 56

What is the major cause of widespread cutting of tropical rainforests?

A) the recent globalization of commerce in international wood products
B) an expansion of farmlands in tropical regions
C) intensified efforts to protect the forests from wildfires by harvesting
D) rising worldwide demand for paper
E) urban sprawl

Question 57

Temperate forests are likely to have which of the following species of trees?

A) pine and spruce
B) maple
C) beech
D) maple and beech
E) maple, beech, pine and spruce

Question 58

In the conifer forests of western North America, what is the major source of conflict for timber harvesters?

A) farmers
B) environmental concerns
C) ranchers
D) native American groups
E) suburban residential and shopping center developers

Question 59

In which of the following areas do international environmental treaties exist?

A) whaling and fisheries
B) ocean pollution
C) protection of wildlife species
D) Ocean pollution, whaling and fisheries
E) Protection of wildlife species, ocean pollution, whaling and fisheries

Question 60

How tall are the middle-level trees in a tropical rainforest?

A) 50 ft.
B) 75 ft.
C) 100 ft.
D) 120 ft.
E) 140 ft.

Question 61

What do many experts say about the availability of food for the people of the world?

A) There is enough food to feed the world's population; the real issue is distribution of food, and the ability of people to afford to buy enough food for a healthy life.
B) There is not enough food to feed the world's population, and this problem is worsened by poor distribution of food, and by the poverty that prevents people from purchasing the food they need for a healthy life.
C) There is enough food to feed the world's population, and distribution of food is adequate. The real problem is the poverty that prevents people from purchasing the food they need for a healthy life.
D) There is enough food to feed the world's population, and most people can afford the food they need for a healthy life; the real problem is the global distribution of food, and unhealthy choices in food purchases.
E) There is not enough food to feed the world's population, although the distribution of food is adequate. On the other hand, poverty often prevents people from purchasing the food they need for a healthy life.

Question 62

How much of the world's annual oil output does Green Revolution agriculture consume?

A) 1%
B) 5%
C) 10%
D) 15%
E) 20%

Question 63

Which of the following is an environmental cost associated with the Green Revolution?

A) increased regional air pollution from factories that produce agricultural chemicals
B) damage to habitat and wildlife from diversion of natural rivers and streams for irrigation
C) pollution of rivers and other water sources by runoff carrying farm chemicals
D) increased regional air pollution and water pollution
E) All of these are environmental costs associated with the Green Revolution

Question 64

About what percentage of Earth's people live in areas where water shortages are common?

A) 5%
B) 15%
C) 30%
D) 50%
E) 65%

Question 65

What have been the results of the Green Revolution?

A) a complete success in terms of increased food production, with no unintended consequences
B) a failure in terms of the effect on food production
C) a success in terms of increased food production and environmental outcomes, but with social costs
D) a success in terms of increased food production and social outcomes, but with environmental costs
E) a success in terms of increased food production, but with both environmental and social costs

Question 66

Which of the following statements about world food production is most accurate?

A) Food production is not an important global issue, because local and regional problems often keep people from obtaining food.
B) Food production is an important global issue, and global problems often keep people from obtaining food.
C) Food production is not an important global issue, but global problems often keep people from obtaining food.
D) Food production is an important global issue, but local and regional problems often keep people from obtaining food.
E) Food production is an important local problem, but global issues often keep people from obtaining food.

Question 67

What are the key elements of the first stage of the Green Revolution?

A) mixed crop fields of high-yield rice, wheat, and corn; increased use of water, fertilizers, and pesticides; and reduction of the field-resting time between crops
B) monocrop fields of rice, wheat, and corn; increased use of water, fertilizers, and pesticides; and reduction of the field-resting time between crops
C) monocrop fields of high-yield rice, wheat, and corn; increased use of water, fertilizers, and pesticides; and increase in the field-resting time between crops
D) monocrop fields of high-yield rice, wheat, and corn; increased use of water, fertilizers, and pesticides; and reduction of the field-resting time between crops
E) mixed crop fields of rice, wheat, and corn; increased use of water, fertilizers, and pesticides; and increase in the field-resting time between crops

Question 68

What percentage of Earth's water is freshwater?

A) 3%
B) 20%
C) 40%
D) 75%
E) 97%

Question 69

Which of the following is a local or regional problem that keeps people from growing, buying, or receiving adequate food supplies?

A) poverty
B) climate change
C) heat waves
D) decisions of the World Trade Organization
E) All of these are local or regional problems keeping people from growing, buying or receiving adequate food supplies.

Question 70

Why does the timber industry prefer softwood species over hardwood trees of the temperate forest?

A) because the hardwoods are heavier and more difficult to transport
B) because the hardwoods are more difficult to mill
C) because the softwoods are ideal for making fine furniture
D) because the softwoods are more plentiful
E) This is a trick question; the timber industry does NOT prefer softwood species of trees.

Question 71

Why is cattle ranching not sustainable in areas that were formerly tropical forests?

A) Cattle waste damages rainforest soils.
B) Cattle ranching quickly exhausts the nutrient-poor soil of tropical rainforests.
C) Tropical grasses are toxic to cows.
D) Cattle ranching exhausts the nutrient-poor soils in tropical rainforests and cattle waste damages rainforest soils
E) Tropical grasses are toxic to cows and cattle waste damages rainforest soils

Question 72

Which of the following is NOT associated with industrial food production?

A) machinery
B) human labor
C) the use of fossil fuels
D) chemical fertilizers
E) pesticides

Question 73

How is globalization causing dietary preferences to change worldwide?

A) by increasing the demand for organic foods
B) by increasing the demand for genetically altered foods
C) by increasing the demand for vegetables
D) by increasing the quantity of food that individuals eat
E) by increasing the demand for meat

Question 74

Which of the following is NOT one of the processes associated with the Green Revolution?

A) a change from traditional mixed crops to mono crops
B) intensive applications of such inputs as water, fertilizers, and pesticides
C) a reduction in the use of hybrid seeds
D) further increases in the intensity of agriculture by reduction in the fallow or field-resting time between seasonal crops
E) irrigation

Question 75

What water policy, advocated by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, has made it more difficult for some people to gain access to water?

A) government regulation
B) the Kyoto Protocol
C) irrigation
D) privatization
E) U.N Convention on the Law of the Sea

Question 76

How does the second stage of the Green Revolution differ from the first stage?

A) The second stage adds new types of fast-growing wheat and rice specifically bred for tropical and subtropical climates.
B) The second stage emphasizes new planting and harvesting equipment.
C) The second stage introduces "fertigation," which combines irrigation and fertilizers in a single step.
D) The second stage promotes multiple crop production, rather than single crop.
E) The second stage advocates privatization

Question 77

Which natural disaster causes more deaths than any other?

A) flooding
B) earthquakes
C) volcanoes
D) fire
E) hurricanes

Question 78

Which of the following statements about food shortages is most accurate?

A) Political problems are usually less responsible for food shortages and famines than are natural events, such as droughts and flooding.
B) Political problems are usually more responsible for food shortages and famines than are natural events, such as droughts and flooding.
C) Political problems are usually just as responsible for food shortages and famines as are natural events, such as droughts and flooding.
D) Political problems are rarely responsible for food shortages and famines.
E) Political solutions have gone a long way toward eliminating food shortages and famines caused by natural events, such as droughts and flooding.

Question 79

At present, what proportion of the world's people are primarily vegetarian?

A) one-tenth
B) one-quarter
C) one-half
D) two-thirds
E) three-quarters

Question 80

Which of the following is a social cost associated with the Green Revolution?

A) Financial costs to farmers participating in the Green Revolution is higher than with traditional farming.
B) People without access to loans or family support cannot participate in the Green Revolution.
C) Traditional farmers cannot compete against Green Revolution farmers in the regional marketplace.
D) Higher financial costs and inability of traditional farmers to compete in the regional marketplace
E) All of these are social costs associated with the Green Revolution.